Motorsports

AUDI SELLS COSWORTH TO FORD

by Larry Roberts

July 24, 1998

This is definitely an era of major corporate mergers and
acquisitions in the auto world. General Motors owns Sweden's Saab, BMW
owns Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz (otherwise known as Daimler) recently
fell in with Chrysler, and Volkswagen outbid the world and gobbled up
those stiff-upper-lip British icons, Rolls-Royce and Bentley.

The latter merger has had some auto media pundits doing some
"what-ifs" of late, one being that the British Vickers Company owns the
Rolls-Royce name and trademark and it's possible that the name won't go
with the car after the deal is finalized. VW might find it hard to
market quarter-million-dollar sedans without being able to put the
famous "Double R" logo on that distinctive radiator shell

But the part of the sale that had auto racing fans as well as
international Formula One and CART (Championship Auto Racing Teams)
constructors on the edges of their chairs is that Cosworth, one of the
few world-class pure auto racing engine manufacturers, went with the
deal. Audi, the upscale subsidiary of Volkswagen, acquired Cosworth in
order to expand its role as VW's research and development arm. Cosworth
engines have been a mainstay in big-time racing for decades and has
powered various Grand Prix race cars to 175 victories as well as 12 Indy
500 checkered flags - among other accomplishments.

All of which would still be OK if it weren't for the fact that for
many years, the other name on the cam covers of Cosworth engines has
been Ford. The Big Blue Oval has put millions into the development of
Cosworth engines and its sale by Vickers to VW has been the cause of
much consternation around the world.

The name Cosworth has been in auto racing for at least 40 years and
is in reality, the combination of the last names of Keith Duckworth and
Mike Costin, a pair of Brits who came to the forefront of racing in
those halcyon days of the '50s and '60s. Those years produced such
automotive design greats as Colin Chapman (Lotus) and Eric Broadley of
the Lola company. Duckworth was a graduate engineer who actually got his
start with Chapman and Lotus and worked there full-time after having
been a part-timer during his college days. Costin was the one-time
Director of Development for Lotus and in 1965, co-authored with David
Phillips "Racing and Sports Car Chassis Design," a book that has become
the classic treatise on the subject.

The Ford connection goes back the Cosworth/Ford 105E engine that was
the mainstay of the then-popular Formula Junior entry-level class of
single-seaters in the '50s and '60s. In fact, the first "true" Cosworth
engine, developed in '64, was, in reality, a Ford 105E block modified by
Cosworth to accept a single overhead camshaft cylinder head. It became
the engine of choice in Formula 2 racing until it was overwhelmed by
more sophisticated Honda and Brabham powerplants. Even back then there
was considerable support given to Cosworth by Ford.

The symbiotic relationship between Ford and Cosworth carried on
after the sale of the British Vickers Company, which is best known for
producing aircraft engines. Vickers was really more interested in
acquiring the Castings, Engineering and Manufacturing divisions that had
evolved out of Cosworth Engineering and was quite happy to have Ford as
a joint-venture partner in its Racing Engines division. But when VW and
Audi came into the picture, it was thought that Audi might have had
plans to substitute its "Four Ring" logo and name on Cosworth-powered
cars on the Grand Prix circuit and the CART Championship Trail.

But a recent press release by Ford has set everyone's mind at rest.
"AUDI AND FORD AGREE TO TERMS FOR COSWORTH RACING" reads the bold
caption. Dan Davis, head of Ford's Special Vehicle Operations and
motorsports program is quoted as saying "A loyal partner for years,
Cosworth Racing can now benefit from some of Ford's resources in ways
that were not possible prior to the sale." After an engagement of 40
years, Ford and Cosworth have finally tied the knot in true matrimony.

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